2006 Alpine Apex

[DAHL]

I have a 2006 Alpine Apex number 75595.I have a few questions. First on the Alpine users site I can not find information about 2006 Apex's just 2007 any help there? Second the coach has a Reverse osmosis thing and does anybody use theirs and what would be the harm in removing it? Next there is a 1 and a half inch ABS pipe coming from the main dump pipe and it goes to the top of the black water tank and connects to an electric valve and then capped off, what is it for and can I remove it? next there is a fan switch switch on the panel along side the heat controls and it has a hig and low setting but I have no overhead fans, what does it do? Next the overhead lights above the dash do not work with the headlight switch, are they controlled by the Vansco unit? And yes I did check the switch.

Don Dahl towing a Honda CRV

[Steve and Linda's APEX]

Welcome to the world of APEX!
We have owned our 07 for just over a year. Please allow a few comments to your questions.
1. The reverse osmosis water system is fantastic. Once you figure out if the intake valve is labeled correctly, and how to drain the bleed. Here is how ours works: In the wet bay, the two position water in hand valve should be labeled water filter with the valve pointing up. For reverse osmosis the valve must point to the left. Ours was mislabeled with the RO feed pointing up-easy fix.
Deploy your sewer drain line. Connect your fresh potable water hose to a water source. Point the water valve to the RO position (L). Check your fresh water tank level on your Silverleaf. On your Siverleaf panel (either on the dash or the overhead TV) turn on the auto fill. Turn on the water source. You will have a small amount of bleed water exiting your sewer hose. Our system loads water at about 6 gallons per hour. Be patient. Engineer Mike can and will be your friend when it comes to Alpine systems.
Regarding your overhead dash lights. They are controlled by the rotary switch to the right of your headlight switch. if they don't work, Your switch is bad (learned by experience). Order a Ford part # F81Z-11654-AA replacement. Do not use any other brand! As far as your other plumbing questions, I will need to look at ours and see how it is plumbed.
Suggestion: Join family Motor Coach Association and Alpine Coach Association (FMCA satellite) and one of the area groups-NorCal, SoCal, NOWACA, and ACE. Membership will allow you to access all of the available Alpine technical information as well as the finest owners group I have ever seen. We will all help you! Who's APEX did you buy and what model is it?

[DrDaveMA]

The RO water system is one of the best features on the coach. It was designed by Frank Rouse, a retired Culligan dealer. I had him install one on our 2005 Limited, I love it, it removes all the minerals and other crap we get at the variety of campgrounds we stay at, so your water is really soft. BTW, I also have one of those cheap blue water filters installed at the water connection, it is an easy way to prefilter the big pieces out of the water. A few years back Frank sold the business to Mike Fleming of Engineer Mike fame.

[DAHL]

Originally Posted by Steve and Linda's APEX

Welcome to the world of APEX!
We have owned our 07 for just over a year. Please allow a few comments to your questions.
1. The reverse osmosis water system is fantastic. Once you figure out if the intake valve is labeled correctly, and how to drain the bleed. Here is how ours works: In the wet bay, the two position water in hand valve should be labeled water filter with the valve pointing up. For reverse osmosis the valve must point to the left. Ours was mislabeled with the RO feed pointing up-easy fix.
Deploy your sewer drain line. Connect your fresh potable water hose to a water source. Point the water valve to the RO position (L). Check your fresh water tank level on your Silverleaf. On your Siverleaf panel (either on the dash or the overhead TV) turn on the auto fill. Turn on the water source. You will have a small amount of bleed water exiting your sewer hose. Our system loads water at about 6 gallons per hour. Be patient. Engineer Mike can and will be your friend when it comes to Alpine systems.
Regarding your overhead dash lights. They are controlled by the rotary switch to the right of your headlight switch. if they don't work, Your switch is bad (learned by experience). Order a Ford part # F81Z-11654-AA replacement. Do not use any other brand! As far as your other plumbing questions, I will need to look at ours and see how it is plumbed.
Suggestion: Join family Motor Coach Association and Alpine Coach Association (FMCA satellite) and one of the area groups-NorCal, SoCal, NOWACA, and ACE. Membership will allow you to access all of the available Alpine technical information as well as the finest owners group I have ever seen. We will all help you! Who's APEX did you buy and what model is it?

Steve thanks for the reply, that explains how the system works. On all my other coaches I did not have one. I did replace the light switch with the correct Ford part but still no lights. I am an FMCA member 104716 and also and Alpine member. I will keep looking for my other questions, thanks again.

[Ljwt330]

Originally Posted by DAHL

Steve thanks for the reply, that explains how the system works. On all my other coaches I did not have one. I did replace the light switch with the correct Ford part but still no lights. I am an FMCA member 104716 and also and Alpine member. I will keep looking for my other questions, thanks again.

On my Limited, the overhead lights will only work with the ignition switch ON. Don't know if yours are the same because I have a separate dash switch for them. Worth a try if you haven't done so as yet.

[paul65k]

Originally Posted by Ljwt330

On my Limited, the overhead lights will only work with the ignition switch ON. Don't know if yours are the same because I have a separate dash switch for them. Worth a try if you haven't done so as yet.

Yes my 2001 is wired this way as well.

[Cinequip]

Regarding the mysterious ABS pipe, routed to top of Black tank: I've heard of some owners who rigged up a grey water transfer system, useful for dry camping. We all fill up the grey tank first, so the theory is you can extent your stay if you can transfer some of the grey to the black tank. The capped off section you mention could have been where the pump was located. This is just a guess.


Regarding over dash lights, my 2009 works with the key off, FYI.

[Gary Arnold]

All Apex coaches are equipped with the Drain Master, RV sewer hose storage system...
With the valve closed at the end of the sewer hose. You have the ability to push the sewer hose out with air pressure or retract the hose with a vacuum.

The ABS pipe on top of the black tank is the unit that controls weather the hose is pushed out with air pressure or retraced with a vacuum. This device uses air to to create a venture (vacuum) sucking the hose in. All the air and any liquid from the sewer hose is deposited into the the black tank through this ABS pipe.

[Janet and Todd]

The rocker switch for the fan on your dash pod is for the muffin fans behind the TV to shed excess heat if necessary. Ours is wired so that the ignition has to be on accessory for them to come on.

Also, regarding your R/O, if it were me, I would remove and clean the membrane housing and inspect the condition of the RO membrane before using it. Also verify which position of the filter valve sends water through the filters or bypasses them. Ours was mislabeled too. New labels are available from Aubrey's in Yakima, WA

[Dudley do-right]

Hey Linda and Steve,, Dudley here, (Dudley Do-Right). I think you have just answered a question I've had ever since we bought our '-06ApexMDTS, and that is, How to make the R.O. system work. We had an R.O. system on our sailboat, and used it all the time, but it worked off of a small high pressure pump. Whereas this system just works off of our well supplied water pressure and that is fairly low, at about 40psi give or take. Normally, R.O. systems require quite a bit of pressure to push water thur the membrane. Is this system designed with a more coarse membrane or something?
If I can get it to work, that may be an alternate way for me to fill the fresh water tank, as our auto fill won't let me fill the tank directly.I've changed both solenoid valves to no avail.
Dudley

[Steve and Linda's APEX]

Originally Posted by Dudley do-right

Hey Linda and Steve,, Dudley here, (Dudley Do-Right). I think you have just answered a question I've had ever since we bought our '-06ApexMDTS, and that is, How to make the R.O. system work. We had an R.O. system on our sailboat, and used it all the time, but it worked off of a small high pressure pump. Whereas this system just works off of our well supplied water pressure and that is fairly low, at about 40psi give or take. Normally, R.O. systems require quite a bit of pressure to push water thur the membrane. Is this system designed with a more coarse membrane or something?
If I can get it to work, that may be an alternate way for me to fill the fresh water tank, as our auto fill won't let me fill the tank directly.I've changed both solenoid valves to no avail.
Dudley

Hey Dudley!
A quick correction. Our valve position for RO water is pointed up. Pointing left is for filtered water only. Have you checked your water filters?
The true expert on RO systems is Engineer Mike Fleming (he owns the company that can supply filters, RO membranes). Our house pressure runs around 60 psi. Mike could confirm how 40 psi would impact your load time. Hope this helps!

[Steve and Linda's APEX]

Originally Posted by Steve and Linda's APEX

Hey Dudley!
A quick correction. Our valve position for RO water is pointed up. Pointing left is for filtered water only. Have you checked your water filters?
The true expert on RO systems is Engineer Mike Fleming (he owns the company that can supply filters, RO membranes). Our house pressure runs around 60 psi. Mike could confirm how 40 psi would impact your load time. Hope this helps!

The previous owner of our Apex spliced a “T” into the RO drain line going into the sewer hose. He then installed a standard outdoor faucet on the bottom of our coach and connected both with a small in line shut off. I can connect a hose to the faucet, open the faucet and close the shut off (no bleed to the sewer line) load RO water and distribute the bleed water in my yard!

[Janet and Todd]

Dudley, check to see if there's a 7.5 amp brown colored fuse in the fill valve slot of the fuse block. Some of us have removed that fuse so the autofill won't come on when it decides to usually when you're driving. If the fuse is in it's place and someone hits the autofill button you should be able to hear the solenoid thump.

[bcruzen]

Dudley, also check your relays for the auto fill. If your components are mounted in the same place as mine, they are in your storage tank bay, the bulkhead between the storage tanks and the rear wheel above the black tank. Should be the fuse block, 3 relays and then the TM102 box. Those relays operate your auto fill solenoids. Switched from the TM102 SilverLeaf system and powered from the fuse panel.